Millions of eyes will be fixed on the sky when a total solar eclipse crosses the U.S. in August. It’s likely many of those eyes will be safely behind eclipse glasses made by a Tennessee company, one of many businesses cashing in on the eclipse. (July 27)
AP

People check their eclipse glasses ahead of a solar eclipse in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on Thursday, July 31, 2008. The Great American Eclipse of Aug. 2017 is leading to a tourist boon from Oregon to South Carolina.(Photo: ILNAR SALAKHIEV, AP)

Just 2-3 minutes of darkness during the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse is bringing in millions of tourist dollars from Oregon to South Carolina as hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and museums enjoy a phenomenal boon to business.

Nashville, the largest U.S. city entirely in the path of the total eclipse, estimates 50,000-75,000 visitors will stay overnight and spend a total of $15 to $20 million, said Heather Middleton of the city's tourism board, VisitMusicCity.com.

"Since this is an event that's never happened before, it's difficult to know exactly," she added.

Great American Eclipse(Photo: USA TODAY)

More than 100,000 people are expected to visit Salem, Ore., the first big city that will see the eclipse, Kara Kuh of TravelSalem.com said. That almost doubles the town's population for the day.

"We can definitely say that restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and other retail shops are going to be extremely busy in the days leading up to and just after the event," she said.

Hotels are about 95% full, and campgrounds in state parks are fully booked, Kuh said. The estimated economic impact from the event: $9 million, she said.

Southeastern Idaho could see anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 people for the eclipse, said Kerry Hammon, spokeswoman for the city of Idaho Falls, population 60,000. She said all hotel rooms in the area are booked "for very high prices."

City parks as well as farmers' fields in the area will become makeshift camping areas for RVs and tents, Hammon said.

Farther inland, in Casper, Wyo., the city with the best chance of clear skies of any location in the path of the eclipse, about 35,000 people should be in town for the event, said Anne Wilcox of EclipseCasper.com.

Historic Charleston, S.C., has rolled out an array of packages for the eclipse, from hotel rooftop viewing with a College of Charleston astronomy instructor, to a special blues-and-barbecue harbor cruise on a paddlewheeler.
Explore Charleston

Parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will experience more than two minutes of totality. The park has organized three viewing areas, including Cades Cove, Oconaluftee and Clingmans Dome, which will be by ticket only.
Akos Kokai

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"Our hotels and campgrounds saw reservations as long as three years ago and have maintained a nearly sold-out status since August of last year," she said.

Anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 visitors are expected in St. Joseph, Mo., over the weekend and the day of the eclipse, said Beth Carmichael of the city's tourism bureau. The town's population is 76,000.

"Not only are our hotels sold out, but as residents we have a lot of friends and family coming in for the eclipse," she said. "I have six out-of-town relatives coming, and I’ve heard as many as 20 people coming to stay in some houses here in town."

In St. Louis, only southern parts of the metro area will see the total eclipse. Still, Anthony Paraino, director of communications for Explore St. Louis, said the city is expecting thousands of visitors.

"We've had a spike in hotel bookings" for both Aug. 20 and Aug. 21, he said. Thousands of hotel rooms are still available for this "once-in-a-lifetime" experience, he added.

The total eclipse is only 20 minutes from the downtown area, so Paraino urges visitors to "come to St. Louis and drive a bit further south."

Finally, in South Carolina, the last state to see the eclipse, NASA predicts 1 million visitors to the state overall. And Airbnb reported Aug. 20 will be its biggest night in South Carolina ever.

Both the state capital of Columbia and its most populous city, Charleston, are ready for the big day.

In Columbia, almost all of the area's 11,600 hotel rooms are booked, according to Andrea Mensink of ExperienceColumbiaSC.com. In all, she said there will be over 120 eclipse events happening across the region. Total estimated attendance is more than 166,000 combined, she said.

The eclipse has also caused a spike in stories about Columbia, S.C. About 250 regional, national and international pieces have been written this year, far above the annual average of about 95 stories, Mensink said.

The South Carolina State Museum conservatively estimates it will generate $235,000 from eclipse-related activities, said Merritt M. McNeely, director of marketing for the museum. It has sold tickets to visitors from 23 states and eight foreign countries.

In Charleston, the last city to see the total eclipse, "we do not have a projection for number of visitors," said Doug Warner of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "As this is such an out-of-the-norm experience, we have no way to project."